What are Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS)?

Today, most new vehicles are equipped with an anti-lock braking system or offer it as an option, and many car shoppers consider anti-lock brakes a must when they make a vehicle purchase. Designed to give the driver control over the vehicle while coming to a rapid stop, anti-lock brakes employ precisely calculated, rapid pumping action to prevent wheels from locking up during a sudden stop. Anti-lock brake technology marks such a significant breakthrough in the automobile industry that in a 2006 report published by www.cars.com, anti-lock braking technology was rated the #1 automobile innovation in recent years and was credited it for paving the way for roll mitigation and stability control technology.

Let us examine for a moment what happens to a vehicle without ABS as sudden pressure is applied to the brake. The wheel is capable of coming to a stop quicker than the vehicle itself, resulting in a skid as the wheel locks but the vehicle continues to move. When a vehicle skids, there is little traction and the driver has minimal or no control over the direction the vehicle will go.

Anti-lock brakes employ computer controlled speed sensors which detect sudden deceleration and activate right before the point when the wheels would otherwise lock up. By rapidly releasing and reapplying pressure to the brake system in quick intervals, the ABS system allows the tires to decelerate at the same rate as the vehicle, preventing skidding and allowing the driver to steer away from obstacles while braking if necessary. Without ABS, a vehicle in the same situation could lose traction, leaving the driver at the mercy of the out of control vehicle and anything in its path.

Several studies have raised doubt regarding whether the presence of ABS actually prevents accidents, and some experts suggest that drivers being unaware of how to correctly utilize the system contributes to the findings. When you rapidly compress the brake pedal in a vehicle with anti-lock brakes, it is normal to feel a pulsing or vibrating from the pedal, and possibly some noise. In vehicles with ABS, brakes should never be pumped with the foot. In an emergency stopping situation, hold constant pressure on the brake pedal while maintaining a firm grip on the steering wheel to control the direction of the vehicle, allowing the ABS to do the job for which they are designed.

In purchasing a vehicle with ABS, note that all ABS systems are not the same. While some systems include a speed sensor and valve for each of the four wheels, others may have just one valve and sensor for both rear wheels. Consult the owner's manual for information about the type of ABS system with which a particular vehicle is equipped.

About the Author: Greg Chapman, of Greg Chapman Motors, is a leading provider of used cars in Austin. For more information please visit Greg Chapman Motors.

How To Get Flat Abs

How can you get flat abs? Actually, it's not that hard. Let's think about it for a minute - the reason your abs are not flat is because of two things. Firstly, you may have high levels of body fat. Although in men and women body fat tends to deposit on different parts of the body, the stomach and abs is a common location for both genders. A little beer gut or a little extra paunch around the waist makes your stomach rounded, which isn't good when you want to get flat abs.

What can you do? Well, let's go through a few simple changes to your lifestyle that'll show you hot to get flat abs in no time. The most important thing is to reduce your body fat levels, and that requires a two pronged attack.

The first prong is cutting down on your calorie intake during the day, so that means eating less sugary sweets, foods and drinks, avoiding fatty foods like triple cheeze pizzas or pork pies, and choosing low-calorie, diet, light or fat free alternatives wherever they're available.

On their own, each of these little changes might not seem like much, but when you combine them all you can drastically reduce your bad calorie intake during the day, and that's how to get flat abs. Without so many calories each day, your body will turn to its long term storage for energy - your body fat, and that means you'll lose weight naturally.

The second prong of this attack to get flat abs is to encourage your body to reach for those long term stores through regular exercise. Jog for 20-30 minutes a day, or do 60 minutes of brisk walking, or even swap the car journey to work for a bike ride twice a day. Regular exercise will burn off calories, reduce your body fat levels and flatten your abs.

The second reason why you may not have flat abs is your muscles may not be well toned, so while they're relaxed your internal organs may be pushing out your stomach. Firm muscles with good strength will naturally be tighter on your body and won't sag. By strengthening your ab muscles you'll find it easier to hold your stomach in all the time, and that's the second tip for how to get flat abs.

To toughen up your ab muscles, along with your 30 minutes of exercise do 20-30 minutes of ab exercises such as situps, crunches, leg raises and torso twists. You can find information about ab exercises online, in your local library or bookshop, or even by asking a personal trainer at your local gym for a short routine you can do at home without any equipment.

If you want to get flat abs, you need to firm and tone up the muscles. Once your abs are stronger, you can hold them in all day without even noticing. Making these small lifestyle changes doesn't have to be a big deal. A few little alterations to your daily routine and that's how you get flat abs!

It's all very well getting your diet right, eating healthily and losing plenty of bodyfat so your abs are on show, but if you don't workout properly you'll never get flat abs that look as good as the guys in the bodybuilding magazines. David Spencer is a fitness nutcase, and has spent years learning about weight loss and bodybuilding, and he recommends The Truth About Six Pack Abs training program - http://TheTruthAbout6PackAbs.com

What You Didn't Know About Your Abs

Getting the abdominal area in shape can be a manageable task, once you understand the basic science involved.

You should have your doctor’s clearance before engaging in any physical activity, now with that said, the first thing that you need to do is warm up for about 8 mins before embarking on the ab workout. Do not engage in any abdominal training , if you have any lower back or pelvic issues.

For you to have a strong, lean and chiseled abdominal area-you need to pay attention to the following; your sleeping habits, nutrition, resistance/weight training and cardio vascular training. Genetics do play a role, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t improve on your ab and core strength.

So how do you work the abs?, we start off by working the oblique muscles (the area that covers your love handles) first. Reason being that they are your weakest muscles in the abdominal region, and unfortunately you also have extra fat holding on over here They are divided into the internal and external obliques. These muscles criss cross each other, another reason why you should work them from different angles.

How? Answer: you would perform 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps of the various oblique exercises, ….get them tired, and then proceed to the “front” muscles, i.e. the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominus –that form the” six pack”. Oblique exercises would include lateral lumbar rolls, Saxons, Standing rotations with a bar, and Diagonal flutter kicks.

The rectus abdominis and transverse abdominus are very powerful muscles, and a lot of energy is utilized in working them out-and its funny the way a lot of people get into the gym, and the first thing that they do is a set of situps!.That’s not effective! Because by the time you get over these muscles, you are tired., and you don’t have enough energy for working the obliques effectively(remember they are your weakest abdominal muscles!).

Now you’d perform about 3-4 sets of various exercises that target the “ sixpack” area., and you’d be on your way to success. Exercises in this section would include balance ball crunches, hip thrusts and air bike crunches.

Performing running sprints is also an excellent way of burning excess body fat, and getting the abdominal area really cut. You only need to look at the wide receivers in the NFL and basketball players like Allen Iverson, a clear testimony of what sprinting can do for you.. A great combination is when you combine some distance running with the sprinting, and icing it up with some boxing or martial arts.

Having dinner early, say anywhere between 6pm and 7.15 pm will also help in keeping your waist lean and tight. A balanced diet consisting of Carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables improves your metabolism and optimum health in general. Key thing over here is having 5-7 small meals , spaced out over a single day. .Avoid junk food! Powerful tip; Spend time chewing your food, enjoy it…..you’ll end up eating less, plus you also get to reprogram your cells. Resulting in you eating less, which is effective for those who want to control their caloric intake.

You can’t talk about getting the abdominal area in shape, without mentioning resistance training. This may involve using your own body, weights, bands, and other functional training equipment. Do some research on this area or consult with a Fitness professional, before embarking on a resistance-training program. In the meantime stay focused , and keep things moving!

Eric Odera offers motivating and highly creative training to re-energize the lifestyles of busy executives in New York City. Please visit http://www.ericodera.com E-mail:rocadera@yahoo.com

The Quick and Easy Way to Tone Up Your Abs - Part 2

All About Abs - Nutrition

First Class Eating Habits = First Class Abs 90% of Ripped Ab Gurus Have Fantastic Nutritional Habits

Why Nutrition is 90% or More of Your Success

Let me explain this particular concept as it seems that the current direction is to buy fat burning pills, ab machines and do daily training. The problem is with all that training and other facts is they will never have as much influence on the layer of fat covering your abdominals as a good metabolic meal will that helps your body burn away fat every day.

Turning your body into a fat burning furnace should be your #1 priority.

Eating 5-7 meals per day is critical in order to make your body a calorie burning machine; you must supply it with 5-7 small but frequent meals. The reason you do this is because you will be continually burning calories to utilize the food. Be cautious of portion size. Eat too much of anything and you’ll never see those abs!

The more meals you have, the more your body must use energy to burn it. It’s like a furnace. You will RAISE your metabolism simply by eating more frequently.

You see if your nutrition isn’t nearly perfect, your body will always store some fat. And that fat will most likely be kept in the abdominal region. The only way to get to the sub-10% body fat region is with rock-solid nutrition. Countless people cannot do this. Their eating habits are never correct, they don’t track what they eat and they do not have the discipline necessary to eat correctly all of the time (with some cheat meals in there of course). The group of people who can do that are competitive bodybuilders.

Does this mean you can’t do it? Heck no! You just need to be acutely aware that having a ripped abdominal region is about a low percentage of body fat. To get that low, your nutrition needs to be impeccable. The more disciplined you are, the more fat you’ll burn and the more muscle you’ll keep. The lower your body fat becomes, the more your abs will show.

It’s just that simple but it’s not that easy. In the next few steps, you are going to learn exactly what you need to do in order to turn your body into a fat burning machine.

Step 1: Calculate How Many Calories a Day You Need to Lose Fat

Listen, figuring out how many calories a day you need to lose weight really isn’t too hard. And with the formula I’m about to give you plus a very cool website, you can easily track where you are and what you need to do daily to reach your goals. So lets’ begin!

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, THEN LOSING, MAINTAINING OR GAINING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE!

Step 1:

Take your current body weight in pounds (lbs) and multiply by 11.

Example: 194 lbs x 11 = 2134 calories This is what I need to just keep what I have, without moving. But remember, you do move. So you have to then calculate your metabolic factors into this… so off to step 2...

Step 2:

Figure out your metabolic factor according to the table below.

But first, some definitions to help you determine where you might fit in:

Slow Metabolism: You basically look at food and you seem to put on pounds. You can gain weight by eating salads but it’s difficult to lose the weight.

Moderator Metabolism: You can gain weight if you try. You can lose weight if you try. You really don’t have trouble losing weight depending on what you want to do.

Fast Metabolism: You are the skinny guy or gal who can eat *ANYTHING* and it makes no difference. Gaining weight is difficult. Losing weight can happen overnight. Just by watching T.V. you seem to shed pounds.

Metabolic %

Under 30 years old Slow Metabolism- 30% Moderate Metabolism- 40% Fast Metabolism- 50%

30-40 years old Slow Metabolism- 25% Moderate Metabolism- 35% Fast Metabolism- 45%

Over 40 years old Slow Metabolism- 20% Moderate Metabolism- 30% Fast Metabolism- 40%

Example: 2134 calories x 35% (33 years old and with moderate metabolism) = 746.90

I took my calories needed above just to sit here and not move and multiplied it by my metabolic factor and I find that I need an additional 746.90 calories because of my specific metabolism.

Step 3:

Put it together. 2134 + 746.90 = 2880.90 calories I need 2,880.90 calories to maintain my current weight with my current activities.

Note: You can also adjust your metabolic factor if you do something that might take you to the next level. If you are a moderator metabolism person but you do distance running, it might make more sense to put your self in the fast category since you burn a lot more calories.

Step 4:

Lose Weight: I would take 2880.90 – 500 = 2380.90

Note: 500 calories a day is just a general term everybody uses to say that adding this amount is within safe limits. Eat too much, and you end up storing fat. Cut too many calories and your body just goes into starvation mode and ends up retaining more fat. 500 is a safe, recommended guideline. You can also eat 15-20% below your maintenance calorie levels to get a more accurate and aggressive plan. Avoid eating below 20% for very long as your body’s will start to slow down.

Step 5:

You must track what you are eating so you’ll know if you’ve made your goal for the day. And tracking food does not have to be complicated with weights and scales.

It's a shame that so many people just start training and never figure out what they need to eat daily to reach their goals.

You can keep doing the math over and over as you reach a goal.

Step 2: Calculate How Much Protein You Need a Day to Keep Muscle

Often overlooked, protein is the key component to building muscle but keep in mind; it’s also the same fundamental that will help you keep muscle. What this means to you is that if you get enough protein during this ‘cutting’ phase, you’ll burn more fat and keep more muscle. You want to keep as much muscle as possible because you want those abs to show.

As discussed before, having a low body fat percentage is core to the ripped effect but having abs to show is common sense. Protein has many functions that you’ve learned about in the Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding, one of which is to help promote and maintain muscle.

Step 1:

Take your body weight in pounds Example: 194 lbs

Step 2:

Find your body fat % Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)

Step 3:

Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat Example: 194 lbs - (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs of lean body weight

Step 4:

Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14 Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day

Step 5:

Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is what your protein target is for each meal. Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their percentage of body fat is 35%. But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?

The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that's been shown to be too low for active athletes.

Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which can lead to fat gains.

1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if you feel you need more protein.

Step 3: Divide Up the Calories in 5-7 Meals Per Day (Ratios)

At this point you know how many calories a day you need to burn fat and how much protein you need to maintain the muscle. Your goal is to burn fat, not lose weight and certainly not lose muscle! What’s next?

Just divide up your daily calorie requirements by 5-7 meals a day in order to determine the calories per meal and your protein goals.

That might seem like a difficult tasks but once you start using some type of fitness tracking program (like FitDay) it becomes very easy to hit your targets and understand portion control.

If you don’t track what you are eating, then dividing this up will be nearly impossible unless you eat the same things every single day (boring).

There’s nothing fancy to this step.

Preparation Ideas:

* Grocery shop for the entire week so you have an ample supply of food

* Prepare things in bulk so putting together meals is quick and easy

* Use Tupperware as it’s easy to clean and easy to control portions

* Use the grocery list from the Beginner’s Guide to pick and choose foods that are proteins, carbohydrates and good fats

Step 4: Review the Nutritional Fundamentals

On page 68 of the Beginner’s Guide there are some nutritional fundamentals that you must master overall in order to get your nutrition dialed in and it working for you. When you turn your body into a fat burning furnace you need to review these key concepts.

* Eat about 15-20% below your calorie maintenance level. If you use a more aggressive calorie deficit, then do not keep calories too low for too long; increase calories to maintenance or maintenance +10-20% 1-2 days per week. * Getting your ratios correct (50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fats) * Eating 5-7 meals per day * Having a lean protein source with every meal * Getting the good fats and avoiding the bad fats * Drinking enough water * Eating as many natural and unrefined foods as possible * Keeping your total fats and saturated fats low. A little bit of good fats (seeds, flax, fish) is better than a no fat diet.

Stay tuned for Part 3 that will discuss Ab training and the question that everybody wants to know - How Many Times Per Week to Train Abs?

If you can't wait, the Beginner's Guide to Abdominal Training is just one bonus book in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com